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Yesterday I got out my Spanish/English Bible, which I used for a little bit when I got back from studying abroad in Spain, but now just look at from time to time. I decided to try using it daily again. I read a sentence at a time in Spanish, try to translate it in my mind, and then read the English translation. If I can’t figure out the meaning of a certain word based on the translation, I’ll usually look it up. Because when you translate another language word-for-word, that string of English words is almost never the way you would actually say it in English, you know. I love it when I find that the Spanish translation seems better – because it is more powerful, or makes a clearer connection between thoughts, or adds a nuance in the meaning.
This morning I found this to be true with Hebrews 2:11, and here’s why:
In English: “Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers.”
The fact that the thought is split into two sentences makes the connection between the two sentences weaker, I think, than the Spanish translation.
In Spanish: “Tanto el que santifica como los que son santificados tienen un mismo origen, por lo cual Jesús no se avergüenza de llamarlos hermanos.”
The “tanto….como” conjunction (Tanto el que significa como) signifies “as much…..as”, as in, “just as much _____ as _____.” Moving to the second half of the sentence, “por lo cual” means “as a result” or “therefore.” With these phrases, the verse more literally translates:
“As much the one who sanctifies as those who are sanctified have the same origin, therefore Jesus is not ashamed of calling them brothers.”
I think this construction better conveys the meaning because it more clearly connects the thought that because we have the same origin as Christ, he is not ashamed to call us his family. This literal translation isn’t grammatically correct, though, so it has to be changed a little more for the English translation. I had to read the English version a couple times before the meaning sank in, but the use of “tanto…como”, and then “por lo cual” in the Spanish makes it obvious on first reading.
Do you agree? Has anyone else had this thought when translating from another language?
toile of a mind 
I can’t really speak to translating from one language to another, but I think you would enjoy reading the Amplified Bible. When translators are forced to pick a single set of words when translating, they necessarily exclude other words that can have different shades of meaning. Reading a variety of translations together, as in the Amplified Bible, gives you several shades of meaning. But it can also make reading a little tedious. Give it a try when you visit us, if you haven’t read it before.
Oh yes, I don’t think I’ve ever tried reading it before, I will have to do that!
Kelsey, I absolutely agree. I love this post. I wish I had taken more Greek because there are so many original phrases that simply cannot be exactly translated into English. Many of the words have multiple meanings — and you can’t translate all the meanings into English so translators just end up picking one word!
Thank you Shannon! I love hearing comments 🙂 I would like to take some Greek & Hebrew too, for that reason. If you’ve taken any, you know more than I do!
Hey! I love this post! I finally had time to sit down and read it carefully! I think you highlighted the beauty of romance languages. I think that English is often regarded as this superior expressive tongue…which it is, in many ways perhaps. But in so many other ways, the meaning that was most effectively and originally communicated via Latin, Greek, etc. is lost when taken out of the flow that romance languages allow. I love that Spanish shows this romance language authenticity with the two constructions “por lo cual” y “tanto…como”!! It speaks to the penetration of Truth in all tongues! Thanks for sharing xoxo
Yay thanks O! I know your love for romance languages is a strong one and you get this in Spanish for sure! love you!